Protein Packed Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

I love to bake.  Especially on mornings when I have no place to be and I’m not feeling rushed.  Baking brings me a sense of calm and always puts a smile on my face.  My love of baking has evolved over the years and led me to experiment with recipes to make my bakes healthier, full of nutrients, and low in refined sugar.  Do I always bake the “healthy way”? Nope.  A good old fashioned warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie is probably my favorite thing on the planet. But I know my brain and body feel best when I keep those treats in moderation, so I’ve learned to alter recipes so I can keep nutrient-dense homemade treats on hand that fuel me up and satisfy cravings without triggering the sugar spike spiral that comes from a traditional, old-fashioned cookie.  Do you know that spiral? You have one cookie, get that sugar high, followed by a sugar crash, then you crave more sugar . . . and that plate of cookies is just sitting there and too hard to resist . . . so the cycle continues.

You’re going to read this often in my articles:  We need more protein!  Perimenopausal and Menopausal women need protein throughout our day to keep us feeling satisfied and energized.  Our bodies run more efficiently when we get adequate amounts of protein.  It prevents muscle loss and insulin resistance while improving bone health and hormone production.

Often, we overestimate how much protein is in our food.  I aim for 20-30 grams of protein per meal. Before I became aware of my protein needs, I assumed that if I was eating 2 eggs for breakfast, I was getting enough . . . then I realized that one egg only has 6 grams of protein . . .  Time to find some other sources!

So, back to baking!  In this recipe, I’ve boosted the protein and fiber content while eliminating refined sugar. The result is a delicious treat that fills me up and prevents that sugar spiral.  So, instead of craving a whole plate full of cookies, I’m genuinely satisfied with one serving.  Plus, I have the added gratification of knowing that my snack is nutrient-dense and fueling my body!

My love of peanut butter and chocolate runs deep.  Put it in muffin form (or cookie . . . or cake) and you’ve got my heart!  This recipe for Protein Packed Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins had many trials, adjustments and tweaks before I found the perfect combination of decadent flavors and textures that also packed a nutritious punch!

These muffins are perfect with a cup of coffee, eggs, and fruit for breakfast.  If I’m running out the door, I can grab one for the road to eat with my smoothie. They also make a great afternoon snack! 

If you haven’t baked with chickpeas before, you’re going to need to trust me.  Don’t run!  Don’t be scared!  If you rinse them well, blend them until they are perfectly smooth, and add the right ingredients, you will never know that your treat has a chickpea base rather than flour.  Chickpeas are high in protein and soluble fiber, supporting heart and gut health. In this recipe, the base of chickpeas and 3 eggs gives the muffins their fluffy and moist quality.  The best way I have found to blend the chickpeas is with a multiblade blender.  A traditional blender with the blade at the bottom does not work as well.  I’ve tried these in my food processor, and it does eventually work, but you have to pulse it and scrape the sides down much more.  My Ninja blender has 3 layers of blades running up the center, so it does a really good job pulverizing those chickpeas and getting them very smooth and creamy!

For this recipe, I used a combination of natural peanut butter (the kind you have to stir) and PB2 peanut protein powder.  The natural peanut butter has a more pure peanut flavor than the shelf-stable kind we grew up with.  It’s also just better for you since it doesn’t have added sugar and emulsifiers.  After playing around with the recipe, I found that adding the PB2 peanut protein gives the muffins a bit more density while boosting the peanut flavor.

To boost the protein a bit more, and to achieve the perfect consistency in the muffin, I added a large scoop of my go-to protein powder.  I’m a fan of plant-based protein powder, and the one that I can consistently find at my mountain grocery store is Orgain (vanilla organic plant based).  It does have a bit of sweetness from erythritol, so if you’re using an unsweetened protein powder, you’ll likely want to increase the amount of maple syrup in the recipe by 2 tablespoons.

 I like to use pure maple syrup as an unrefined, clean source of sweetness.  Calorie for calorie, it’s the same as regular sugar. However, because maple syrup is less processed, it retains more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants while also keeping it lower on the glycemic index.  So again, we’re choosing a healthier nutrient-dense option that is less likely to cause the sugar spike spiral. You’ll find these muffins are sweet enough, (especially with the chocolate chips) but not too sweet.  The more I bake with lower amounts of sugar, the more I prefer things that are less sweet.  I feel like I taste all the flavors even more when something is not overly sweet.

The addition of chocolate chips makes everything better.  You can find a great variety of baking chips – dark chocolate, semi-sweet, cacao, vegan.  I love to play around with different kinds, so use whatever strikes your fancy!  I used dark chocolate chips for the muffins I photographed.

I know you’ll love these Protein Packed Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins as much as we do!  If you make these, I’d love to hear about it! Healthy Baking, Friends!!